Community Research and Development Information Service - CORDIS

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EPICNIGHT (Enthusiasm, Passion, Inspiration, Challenge (EPIC) – join us during the Researchers’ Night and see for yourself how by connecting science and passion one can make a difference!)

EPICNIGHT Report Summary

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EPICNIGHT (Enthusiasm, Passion, Inspiration, Challenge (EPIC) – join us during the Researchers’ Night and see for yourself how by connecting science and passion one can make a difference!)

Reporting period:
2014-12-01 to
2015-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

"EPICNIGHT indeed consisted of the continuation of the Researchers’ Night projects of the past eight years, which were highly successful, gathering last year approximately 59.000 people willing to meet researchers face to face and to learn new things about their work and personal lives.The project relied on last years’ experiences and aimed at enhancing further public recognition of researchers and their work by bringing them closer to the public, underlying their important contribution to the daily life and well-being of the European citizens.Activities organised during the Night on 26 September 2015 addressed the public at large in all its components; with their even more hassle-free and festive character, they offered a valid alternative to "traditional Friday night activities" while allowing learning more about researchers and research.Activities also allowed a direct contact between researchers and public, while combining fun and education elements (edutainment), ensuring links with several events organised in various Polish cities and allowing the visitors to take an active and involving part.Amongst the activities offered one may list: the secrets of scientists and researchers, the measurable, functional assessment in sport and rehabilitation, immeasurable and the invisible, language TRAINing, dancing with robot, ecological rainbow made from milk, screaming competition, High Voltage Festival…"

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Overview of the results WP1:o Conception, realisation of promotional material: project logo, programmes, leaflets, posters of various formats, displayed in schools and partners' premises as well as several public places, roll-ups, maps ,diplomas,…o Public advertising: display of programmes and leaflets through Poznan City council distribution points, advertising on public transport (busses), citylugth boards in Poznan frequented areas, banners on partenrs' premises;o Publication of articles, announcements and advertisiements in national and regional press;o Airing of announcements, programmes , promotional psots, interviews, on regional TV and radio stations;o Official media partnership with Gazeta Wyborcza, TVP Poznań, Radio Merkury, Radio Afera, MC Radio, Focus, AMS;o Honorary patronage of the Mayor of Poznań, Polish Academy of Sciences, Ministry of Higher Education and Science, Ministry of Education;o Revamping, constant updating and maintenance of project website, namely: www.nocnaukowcow.pl;o 1.227.759 calls on project website;o Revamping, constant updating and maintenance fo social netork profiles (Facebook);o 5.741 likers on Facebook;o Links with popular and institutional websites, and posting of electronic banners: on the www.perspektywy.pl , www.put.poznan.pl , amu.edu.pl , puls.edu.pl , www.man.poznan.pl , www.awf.poznan.pl , www.poznan.gazeta.pl ;o Researchers’ Night banners – 14 pieces, placed in the partners’ seatso Researchers’ Night LED screens – 3 pieces, placed in key parts of Poznano Sending of direct invitations accompanied by posters and leaflets to about 120 schools;o Promotion during other public events, such as Mali Naukowcy (Small Researchers, event for kids from schools and kindergarten from Poznan held in close date to the Chlidren’s Day in Poland), Educations Fair “Salon Maturzystów” (one of bigget educations fair in Wielkopolska region);o Pre events: vists to schools and kindergartens (Small researchers);o Organisation of a press conference 15.09.2015 organized by RN Coordinator combined with a pre even in the premises of Poznan University of Technology, in the Campus Piotrowo at Chemist Laboratory;o About 2,2 million people made aware of the Researches' Night and its objectives.

AWARENESS CAMPAIGNTarget audienceso Public at large regardless of age and scientific background;o Students, children and young people, in particular those facing a career chocie;o Adults and parents;Messages conveyedo Researchers are amongst us (all);o Researchers are ordinary people with an extraordinary job (all);o Learning is fun, places where researchers work are cool (kids up to 6);o Let’s learn new terms: researcher, library, science (kids up to 12);o Learning can be fun and scientific experiments are not that difficult youth aged 13-18);o It is worth becoming a researcher (youth aged 13-18);o Researchers change the world for the better (youth aged 13-18);o A researcher career is a valid alternative to the industry (students);o Occupation researcher makes a difference (adults);

Overview of the results WP2:o Offer of 33 various types of activries as described in the Anenx I part B to the Grant Agreement, such as:o Hands-on experiments;o Science shows;o Workshops;o Kids programmes;o Lab guided visits;o Star gazing;o Science cafés, debates;o Competitions, quizzes;o European corners…;o Active involvement of 1.010 researchers, amongst whom:o 58 having benefitted from Marie Curie scheme;o 86 having benefitted from another supportRt scheme under FP 7 or HORIZON 2020;

Detailed programme of activitiesPOZNAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (Theme technology)o Young scientists zone: special workshop and edutainment addressing school groups, physical experiments under scientists’ supervision, building and designing houses with various materials;o Useful inventions zone: lab guided visits, competitions demos, hybrid vehicle; mobile command centres;o Researcher of the future zone: robotics in medicine, show me your face and I will tell who you are! Workshops in the laboratory of neuro-marketing (kids aged 12 and over);o Shows and demos: Gravity Physic spectacular chemistry demonstrations, Super Engine Electronics, High Voltage Festival, The best microscopes in the world;o Workshops: Eco-robots, see the quasi invisible materials, repair your car, Plastic-fantastic, robot theatre, become an engineer, virtual reality, 3D scanning, optical conversation, sending ciphered information, screaming competition, be like Ronaldo, Virtual skateboard factory (kids over 6);o Fun and Entertainment with Researchers: aerial Picnic, moon dance, encrypted puzzles, fun games for kids and fun detective game. (kids pover 6);o Students Zone: sci-fi-Night the festival of science fiction and electronic game tournament of board games and computer, Polibuda Gaming Zone (over 18);o Researchers’ Hobby charades and puns, comics with a scientist with passion to satirical drawings, small mechanics, repair your motorcycle yourself with young researcher, riddle of the Enigma, shortwave transmitter`s club, communicate with the whole world.POZNAN SUPERCOMPUTING AND NETWORKING CENTRE (Theme: technology)o Young scientist zone: BMO and DNA experiments, smart zoo, smart Malta, 4K 3D projections, automatic voice recognition;o Useful inventions zone: mobile technologies at school, digital libraries (kids over 10)o Researcher of the future zone: visit the network management centre and server rooms, visit to biology , chemistry and nuclear magnetic resonance labs; (age 12+);o Workshops and entertainment: Tv broadcasting van, studio Platon, genetic science gaming centre, QR quizzes, cave immersive technology, wall of monitors;o Students Zone: special workshops of new technologies (over 18);POZNAN UNIVERSITY OF LIFE SCIENCES (Theme: life science)o Young scientist zone: become a student of super-scientist, special workshop and entertainment only for school groups, thick are not as dangerous as they say, flower from a bulb, the most edible and most beautiful parts of plants, the Mysterious Garden, magical worlds of fungi, how powerful are air bubbles? plant, food-energy, recognize me be my taste, a modern concrete house (kids over 6);o Useful inventions zone: design furniture of your dreams, how much chemistry is contained in what we eat (kids over 12);o Researcher of the future zone: green tourism, the ageing in the eyes of biologists, innovations in photovoltaic cell installation design, my mysterious world of biotechnology (kids over 12);o Show, demonstrations: how to dissect a carp? caught in a trap, tourism around the world;o Workshops: the city creators, what is found in the rumen? a little sensory expert, where does water in the river come from? Geodesy, do bees have the life of honey? Computer maps;o Fun and Entertainment: educating and city games: exploring agribusiness, how much is the fish;ADAM MICKIEWICZ UNIVERSITY IN POZNAN (Theme: human science)o Young scientist zone: hunt for supernova, extragalactic journey, healthy and colourful plants in science, meteorological workshop, night life in your home, amazing Physics, (kids over 6);o Useful inventions zone: second life of the plastic bottle, colourful moments in the life of the cell, oil and gas , how to become a sheikh (kids over 10);o Researcher of the Future Zone: green killers, criminal puzzles, astronomy on my computer, language Training, extreme phenomena not only in theory, what is eye-tracking? Our neighbours in Solar System (kids over 12);o Workshops and hands on experiments: entomological workshop, art as Science, science as art, climates zones, pronunciation workshops, get the book you’re after, laboratory of Witch and Alchemist” (kids over 12);o Fun and Entertainment with Researchers: the crime history of media, melodies all over theworld, play with me! games all over the world;o Researchers’ Hobby: charades and puns, wildlife through the looking glass, oda di Neuro- microcosm of the brain, Belgian, Dutch and South African culture;o Students Zone : special workshops for students (over 18);EUGENIUSZ PIASECKI UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN POZNAN (Theme: health)o Young scientist zone: time’s tylor, cycling marathon (kids over 6);o Researcher of the future zone: Paralympics games and Olympic games for disabled people, what’s new in outdoor activity? (Street movement, slack line), stand up, walk on, control takes CONTROL! (kids over 10);o Quizzes, competitions, simulations and games: scientific trip around Europe, contemporary dance, goal Ball, playing with the darkness, how to control body during the exercise (participants will play with eyes-band (control movement with all senses);o Students zone: special workshops for students (kids over 18);POZNAN UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS (Theme: economics science)o Young scientist zone: food micro world, why does the monkey eat a banana (kids over 6);o Useful inventions zone: how to earn money using Internet? business models (kids over 12);o Researchers of the future zone: the struggle with the material, product expert in action, programming from an early age, money and its evolution from stone to electronic cash (over 15);o Workshop and entertainment: young detectives’ adventures, sensory workshop, stock exchange game, let's play together, board games for mobile devices, myths about Europe; (kids over 6);o Students zone: special workshops for students (over 18);

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

"Overview of the resultso Collection, analysis and processing of 2.102 feedbacks, based on both questionnaires correctly filled in and face to face inerviews;o Main conclusions:o Typology of visitors: 64% female and 36% male, 83% from the Great Poland Province, 31,7 % Poznan residents, 38 % aged 14-18, of which 39 % under 13;o Knowledge about the event: mostly teachers, followed by radio or TV announcements;o Overall positive feedback about the event itself: activities, interest, contacts with researchers, concrete organisation, venues and location, scheduling…);o Most successful activities:o Physics wind show, police academy;o Laboratory of the crazy chemist, chemia open air, (Not) only Redbull gives you wings, several observations on energy drinks, interactive stands;o Create furniture!, a trip to follow researchers’ tracks (trips), see the server and the supercomputer, take control of an outdated system, break the system, the life and struggle in the Middle Ages, language TRAINing, Oda di neuro, amazing physics, biomechanical diagnostics in sport, how do people feel their own body?, can human skeletal muscles generate ‘electricity’?, indoor cycling 10x10, money and its evolution, from stone discs to digital currency, earning money via the internet. let's design a business model;o European corners;o Less successful activities: Who am I really?o Impact on public image of researchers and their work: important researcehrs' societal role for 46,9% of respondents;o Impact on interest for scientific careers, in particular amongst young people: almost every second one of the RN2015 visitors declaring his/her interest for an academic or research-related career;o Possible improvements, things to be modified: registration system should be improved with a view to similar future events.

Social-economic impact of the actionClearly the Researchers'Nights will not, as such, have a measurable socio-economic impact. They nevertheless can have a certain influence about the relationships between research institutions, universities etc. operating in the area and having cooperated for the project, likely to go on after it and generate further synergies and positive impact for the territory concerned. Researchers' nights, when involving (whether directly within the partnership or through external cooperation) companies, including small and medium ones operating in the area, can ease the setting up of bridges between research and industry and, as such, lead to employment and innovation. The project does not directly affect cooperation agreements between researchers and industry but is based on existing contacts and deepening ties. Companies that cooperate with universities are invited to participate in activities, for example by organising workshops and presentations such as “Mały Inżynier”, “Go for Robot, star up”, “Twój Robot”, PGNiG Knowledge Zone. In case of strong presence of research communities in the territory concerned, the Researchers'night could also have an impact on the social fabric, strengthening the links between scientific and non-scientific population. Direct contacts with scientists, such as through joint actions in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere during the RN result in invitations addressed by schools to scientists for demonstrations and chats. Furthermore, scientists do organise competitions, rewarded by shared lectures, and students are invited to join the implementation of projects, which helps discovering talents and interest for academic or research-related career. The EPICNIGHT project aimed at enhancing further public recognition of researchers and their work by bringing researchers closer together to the public, underlying their important contribution to the daily life and well-being of the European citizens. The activities were focused on public at large and were have a hassle-free and festive character, similarly to previous editions, were a valid alternative to "traditional Friday night activities" while allowing learning more about researchers themselves as well as their research. Direct contacts with researchers were made possible for the audience such as through common activities in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere; combined fun and "education" elements; this ensured an active and direct involvement of the visitors in activities such as hands on experiments, interactive games and interactive demos. As a result of the project, the perception of researchers as an ordinary social group willing to share their passion for science and research with each inhabitant of Europe, in accordance with the European motto of the eventn namely "Researchers are amongst us", will increase among the society. The project conveyed the following message "Occupation: Researcher, making a difference!" The influence of researchers and their work on our quality of life as well as the research results in the area of ecology as well as technologies facilitating an easy access to knowledge to all people were consequently pointed out. Several activities allowed demystifying existing stereotypes concerning researchers (through allowing researchers and public at large to better know each other, improving their reciprocal understanding and showing scientists as people with passion), raised the public awareness concerning the profession of a researcher and a significant role of researchers in changing the world and making a difference and also we tried to increase young people’s interest in science through an intensified awareness campaign and specific activities."